Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1887-12-30
A Haunted Road.

who believe in ghosts we reprint it
81 don't suppose there is another
RAILROAD in the country that a train
haad can get a job on 80 easily as be
can on the little Pittsburg & West
FRA out in the Penney!vaaia oil re-
gions," said former employe of
that road, now on the Erie. There
is always a chance there for a rail
roader, whether he's brakeman.
fireman, conductor or engineer, and
there isn't nicer road any ywbere to
work on, and the wages are bigger
than the biggest. But men ere quit
thug it all the time. and among the
men who are bired in their places
you never see one who ever worked
on tbs road before, and the first thing
you know they are calling f3r their
time and throwing up their jobs. The
boys often run across others our OF a
job and say to them: Why don'5 you
60 on the Psttsburg & Western?
They want men bad Nine times
out of 10 they viii reply: No Pitts
burg & Western for us.piease, We've
been there
whats the matter with the
Pittsburg & NesterD?" a-ked the re-
porter.
Haunted" replied the railroader.
That's right, Laugh if you want to.
I'm thinking you wouldn't laugh
% uch, though, if You should ever lun
an engine down Cranberry Swamp
grade, between Renfrew and Reihold
stations, with old Bill Kjag's gao55
10 the cab with you aud trying 70
stop the train TO keep it from running
down two other ghosts standing Oh
the track just ahead of your engiUe.
and almost stoi ping it. too, although
the grade is steep and slippery. be-
tween Renfrew and Reibolds Take
the map of Pennsy lvania. look at
Butler county, you'll fnd those two
places there plain enough. and [
know that if you ever took run
down Cranberry Swamp grade, on
the little PiLtsburg IL Western, be.
tween Renfrew and Reibolds, with
old Bill Kings gnost in the cab with
you, you wouldn't laugh much.
"The way the road got haunted in
that spot was this: Not far from the
at the loot of the Cranberry
Swamp grade about 10 years ago
lived an old couple named Wilhelm
They had no family besides them
selves, and they depended on a cou-
pie of acres OF garden aud their COW
and poultry yard for their living.
One Of the first Jersey cows in that
part OF the country belonged to Mrs,
Wilhelm. it having been made pres
ens to her by a noted stock raiser in
Crawford county. Mrs. Wilhelm
thought the world of the COW, and
W hen it strayed from it's enclosure,
got on the lit lie P Il w track and
was run over and killed by the cars
the old lady went almost wild.
"She sued the company for The val
ne of her COW. but the suit went
against her. She brooded 80 over
her trouble that she became insane on
the subject of railroads and her COW,
and the sound Of q train passing her
house always sets her To mourning
over hsr loss. She spent much of
her time in devising schemes TO
harass the company, and sever al
times evading the watchfuiness of
her husbandshe placed herself on the
the track when train was approach.
ing and forced it TO come to stand
still till she was removed by force
from the rail Ole night late ia the
fall of 1877 old Mr. Wilhelm woke up
ard found that his wife was not in
bed H. qnickIy arose. aud looking
out of the window saw Il white figure
hurryiug across the lot between the
house aud the railroad track He at
once knew that the a ure was that of
his wife in her night clothes. and that
she was undoubtedly on her way to
the railroad to force some train To
stop and lay still nnti she was taken
off the track, IS she had done several
times before.
Without waiting TO put on his
Wilhelm rushed from the
house and followed his wife She
disappeared in the little strip Of
woods between the lot and the rail.
road, and by the time hs reached the
woods he heard the sound Of al ap
preaching train and he knew it must
be the fast express with old Bill King
on the engine, and that meant that
this train was more than humming
along. Wilhelm flew through the
piece of woods, aud az he came ont
on the otner side he saw his wife
standing on the track, waving her
hand up and down, while the head.
light of old Bills locomotive vas so
near that it threw It's glare full on
her. Old Bill had seen The figure in
white some distance back, whistled
for brakes and reversed his engine,
bat the grade was 30 sharp and the
rails 80 slippery that the train came
tearing right on
"The white figure never moved,
aud just es Bill was about shutting
his eyes to hide the terror that was
inevitable another white figure
sprang on the rails just ahead of the
engine aud threw itself against the
one standing there as if to force it off
L, was too late and the pilo5 struck
both figures aud hurled them off iato
the woods Tue train was stopped
az soon as possible aud backed to the
scene Of the tragedy. aud the dead
bodies of the old man and his wife
were picked up. The company had
them buried, of course, and their old
home was bought by u farmer,
"Bill King never got over that
night. He made one or two trips
after that and then resigned He
said he could not run that Cranberry
grade, tor he saw the old man and
his wife every night. The thing
worked on his mind till it ruined his
health, and hJ died year afterward
Not long aftefward one Of the engi-
neers on the road came into Renfre W
one night with the story that as he
was coming down Cranberry swamp
grade two white figures appeared on
the track 100 yards or 80 ahead OF
him. and at the SANE tim. he felt the
lever jerked from his hand aud quick